Posts tagged ‘hajj’

The idea of God in Islam is derived from the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah (sayings and deeds). Both these sources show how “God,” “Allah” in Arabic, differs from the Judeo-Christian God. There is plenty of evidence in the Qur’an and the Hadith that the idea of “God” in Islam is of Muhammad’s invention. Here are a few.

Allah in Islam who Muslims consider omniscient confuses Mary the Mother of Jesus with Miriam the sister to Aaron and Moses in the Bible. This doesn’t make sense when even Muslims know Mary and Aaron cannot be siblings because they lived several centuries apart. Muhammad—Allah’s Apostle—confirmed in the Hadith that Mary, Aaron, and Moses shared the same father. Apparently he believed it because Allah told him so. The story even gained some traction among Muslims of Muhammad’s days. The Hadith shows it only took a Christian to correct Muhammad years later in Medina. Unfortunately the error is still in the Qur’an because Allah—the all knowing—has not issued a correction yet.

Muhammad invoked Allah’s name to get his desires and wishes. There are instances in the Qur’an, proven by narratives in the Hadith, where when he had a desire for something he got it with a “revelation.” He never failed to get his way, especially after he became a political and military leader. Here are a few cases:

1. In Surah (chapter) 33 of the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad admired Zainab, the wife of his adopted son Zayd bin Haritha. The Hadith shows he went to Zainab’s house and saw her scantly clad. He desired her as a wife. Then he got a “revelation” from Allah which forced Zayd to divorce Zainab. Then Muhammad—who had at least five wives at that time—married her.

2. Muslim women only began wearing veils in Islam because Prophet Muhammad was concerned men would seduce his new wife Zainab. The Hadith shows how they were milling around Zainab’s new home and even visiting her in Muhammad’s absence. He became quite concerned. One day, he pulled a curtain and a new verse was revealed. Mark you; the “revelation” came after he had already pulled the curtain. Shouldn’t it be the other way around had God been speaking to Muhammad? “Allah” also required that men should visit Muhammad’s home on invitation only. Poor Zayd. He did not enjoy the same privilege. From that time on, men had to talk to Muhammad’s wives behind a curtain. So much for Muslims telling the world veiling is for modesty.

3. A typical Muslim man can marry up to four wives. How about Muhammad? Allah “told” him via a “revelation” he could marry as many as he wished. Those who rivaled him, Muhammad forced them to divorce some of their wives to get to the “maximum” four.

There are many other references in the Qur’an where a Muslim must obey Allah and Muhammad. Surprisingly, none of these verses was from the period when Islam was its nascent stage, Muhammad was powerless. The Hadith shows Muhammad concocted them to cater to his own desires. (Absolutes are rare in Islam. The only absolute with certainty is Islam’s opposition to the Trinity—a concept even “Allah” did not understand and falsely accused Christians of worshipping god the father, mother and son. Many Muslim still believe Christians worshipped these three gods even when it is patently false.)

There are many more examples that show the Qur’an was an invention of Muhammad to live a convenient life. He dubbed it a “revelation” from “Allah” to dupe his followers. The Islamic deity Muhammad preached couldn’t be the same as the Judeo-Christian God because the “Allah” Muhammad preached pandered to Muhammad. Even Muslims in Malaysia who abide by the Sharia agree the deity in Islam is not the same as the Judeo-Christian God. The New York Times reports they burned Catholic churches over Malay Christians’ use of “Allah” in publications. Muslims know better who their “God” is. He is not the same as the Judeo-Christian God!

Islam is in the news. Oftentimes the news isn’t good. We hear many atrocious stories about this supposedly peaceful religion. Mainstream Muslims decry what Muslims like Osama bin Laden say and do to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They argue that Islam does not teach Muslims to be violent. Muslims and non-Muslims are confused because of the conflicting teachings of Islam.

Do you know that mainstream Islam only focuses on the first twelve years of Islam, 610-622 A.D., when the teachings of Prophet Muhammad had not been defined? You should ask your Muslim friends why they selectively follow Muhammad. During this twelve-year period, only one out of the five pillars of Islam was practiced. Muhammad and his companions observed only the five daily prayers. The rest of the five pillars of Islam did not materialize until 631 A.D.

It took Muhammad that long to come up with the rest of the five pillars because he was very indecisive. The Hadith shows that Prophet Muhammad and his fellow Muslims first observed the Arab idol worshipers’ fast in Mecca. And when they migrated to Medina in 622 A.D., they adopted Jews’ fast up until there was fallout a few years later. Muhammad and his companions also performed pilgrimage to Mecca with Arab idolaters before the institution of Hajj in 631 A.D. The Hadith also shows that the present-day pilgrimage has similar rituals as that of Arab idol worshippers’.

Why do mainstream Muslims stick to the earlier teachings of Prophet Muhammad and selectively believe and practice Islam of post-622 A.D. where Islam was defined as a religion? Are they ashamed of practicing authentic Islam? We are left to speculate.